April 2011 - Centre for Civil Society - University of KwaZulu-Natal

developing countries, on one side, and a large majority of developing
and least developed countries, on the other, over the level of
commitment to reductions in egregious subsidies, high tariffs on farm
products and tariffs on industrial products; and to market-opening for
services put paid to an early agreement.
Recently, former WTO director general Peter Sutherland, who was
responsible for concluding the previous Uruguay Round of trade
negotiations, issued a report calling on members to conclude the Doha
Round this year, failing which the credibility of the global trading
system will be irreparably damaged.
"The emerging countries must provide substantial market access in
industrial goods and services to conclude the Doha Round," he told IPS.
Trade chiefs of the U.S. and the EU made similar comments at the World
Economic Forum in Davos a fortnight ago.
The U.S. and the EU made a strong pitch for "real" and "new" market
access in industrial goods and services in emerging countries --- China,
India, Brazil, South Africa, and Argentina, among others --- to finalise
the Doha Round of trade negotiations this year.
During the Davos meeting, trade ministers reiterated their commitment to
avail themselves of the "window of opportunity" to conclude the Doha
negotiations this year.
But there remained pointed differences on what ought to be the level of
ambition and whether it is proper to demand a huge payment from
developing countries to conclude the negotiations.
Trade ministers of Brazil, India, China, and South Africa issued a
common declaration in Davos maintaining that the final outcome in Doha
trade negotiations must hinge on the principle of "reciprocity" that
would require proportional commitments between developing countries
and
developed countries.
More importantly, the four ministers insisted that final commitments in
the market access areas of agriculture, industrial goods, and services
must be based on the mandate that was agreed in the Jul 2004 framework
agreement and the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration of 2005.
The declaration and the agreement reaffirmed the centrality of
development and the interests of poor countries in the Doha Round.
The trade ministers said there should be no "reopening" of the texts
that were tabled in Dec 2008 in industrial goods and services, which
reflected the final compromises that members ought to make.
The trade majors, however, are in no mood to adhere to the commitments
as suggested by China, India, Brazil, and South Africa.
The EU, for example, said there is "asymmetry" in what they are going to
provide in agriculture and what they are going to receive in industrial
goods and services as part of the Doha commitments.
EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht told his counterparts in Davos that
Brussels will need more market access from the emerging countries,
regardless of what the mandate stipulated.